


The Inhaler is in the Top Drawer

by 61feathers



Category: Free!
Genre: Adorable, Asthma attack, M/M, free iwatobi swim club, worried Momo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-18
Updated: 2014-10-18
Packaged: 2018-02-21 14:18:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2471258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/61feathers/pseuds/61feathers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No one really knew that Nitori Ai had asthma. No one knew that when he was younger it would cripple him in gym class. No one knew that he almost quit swimming a month after he first started because of it. No one knew that at every swim practice he brought an inhaler and left it in his swim bag. </p><p>	Accept for Momotarou that is....</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Inhaler is in the Top Drawer

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy this random little drabble here! Idk why after hearing the newest drama CD, and Nitori running after Momo to catch his beetle i have a major head canon that Nitori has asthma. He was COUGHING AND HACKING and it sounded painful :(
> 
> Anyways i hope you enjoy this! I liked the idea of Momo really getting freaked out over something-- he's just not that kind of person so i wanted to write it. Naturally.

No one really knew that Nitori had asthma. No one knew that when he was younger it would cripple him in gym class. No one knew that he almost quit swimming a month after he first started because of it. No one knew that at every swim practice he brought an inhaler and left it in his swim bag. 

Accept for Momotarou that is. Who had once opened the top drawer of Nitori’s desk in their shared living space, and inquired about the small silver instrument. He had even pressed down on the button and surprised himself by the sudden gush of air that blew out. Nitori had laughed at the time, despite his unhappiness-- he hated people knowing about his asthma. He hated knowing he had asthma himself.

It was the hate that fueled his burning, tightening chest one day that bribed him to leave his inhaler back in the dorm room. Which was stupid of course, team captains should not be so irresponsible-- but he hadn't had an attack in quite some time and that fueled him not to turn around and go back to the dorm and get it when he was halfway down the hall.

Momo probably wouldn't have thought twice about Nitori leaving it behind, had he known. He tended to think he himself was invincible, so why shouldn't his beloved sempai be as well?

It came as an utter shock to them both when Nitori pushed himself too hard that day at practice, simply be accident, and came up from the water gasping and coughing. His chest was pulling in on itself, kind of in the same fashion his muscles struggled to pull him out of the pool. He had just done twenty very long laps, taking advantage of his sudden growth spurt and telling himself the extra inch and a half would make the pool seem smaller. He could do twenty laps easy. No problem. Pffft. 

The coughing escalated to a shallow rasp, and Nitori could feel it coming on. He knew the signs, he knew the force in which his chest would start to close in around his lungs, and he knew that he needed his inhaler. 

Dammit.

“Nitori-sempai!” Someone--he wasn't sure which of his team members said it-- came running up to him, and a hand fell on his shoulder almost instantly. “D--Did you pull a muscle?”

What a stupid question. Muscles don't make you wheeze. 

“I--I” Nitori tried to take in a long breath and failed. “As--ma”

“NITORI!” That was Momo. Even through the lack of oxygen Nitori could tell. That hyper and excited voice couldn't be misplaced.

Something was said about asthma, and then two other swimmers were hauling their captain upright. Worried expressions and shock crossed everyones features and he coughed and occasionally stopped breathing for a second. Fear itself threatened to shake Nitori unconsious.

He hated having asthma. He hated it with all his heart. 

Someone must have checked his locker he was sure, that would be the first place a swimmer would keep their inhaler. But of course it was absent, and while Nitori held tight to the shallow pants he could manage, he couldn't help but feel a wave of tears beginning to manifest.

Somewhere in the back of his mind he wondered what Rin would have done in this situation, and then he felt himself starting to go blank. Starting to slip into the “okay-no-seriously-someone-call-an-ambulance-right-now” state of mind that he hadn't felt since he was a child. 

Why. Why oh why didn't he just bring his inhaler….

Someone contemplated mouth-to-mouth while other members darted to the locker rooms for their cellphones. Nitori could only just make out the blurred lines of their faces. His chest was burning. Boiling even.

And then Momo was there again. He hadn't even realized the silly, younger boy had run off, but suddenly he was back and he was yelling for Nitori’s attention. 

“NITORI- HEY!” He gave him a small shake and surprisingly it worked. A tiny gasp of air made its way out of Nitori.

“He’s turning red!”

“Blue!”

Momo was shaking as he pushed the inhaler to Nitori’s mouth, thinking back to the day his roommate had explained to him how it really worked. “Take a deep breath!” He instructed.

Nitori barely managed it, and let it out too quickly for it to work.

“Y--You have to hold it, Ai!” He whined and tried again. 

This time Nitori managed to hold his breath, and while he didn't make it a full ten seconds (Momo was counting for him) he managed seven and that was enough to open up his lungs. The rest of the team seemed to be holding their breath for their captain as well. Someone said “hes okay!” and another person close by heaved a sigh of relief (Nitori wished he could do the same).

“Again!” Momo insisted, too soon after the first drag from his inhaler. Nitori, weak but alive, pushed his hands down.

“H--Hold on.” He tried to breathe a little more evenly on his own, but when his sight came back into focus he was sure the golden eyes staring back at him didn't help his breathing. His heart may or may not have missed a beat because of how close their faces were.

“Wow Momotarou, you ran so fast!”

“Way to go, Momo!”

“Can you breathe?!” Momo insisted, ignoring the praise the Samezuka team was giving him. He was trying to push Nitori’s hand with the inhaler back at his face. “Nitori-sempai!”

Finally it seemed Nitori’s chest opened up again, be it the realization that Momo really HAD run that fast all the way to their dorm and back, or his inhaler he wasn't sure. The pain in his chest was replaced with a growing affection for his roommate, and with a shaky smile he panted. “T-thank you… Momo-kun.”

“Youre okay now?”

“Y-yes.” 

“Youre sure?”

“Yes.” Nitori let his hands fall at his sides and he smiled, a little sad and a little tired looking now, but so relieved it wasn't even funny. They were sitting on the bench nearest to the locker rooms, Momo had him turned sideways towards him. 

The look on the redheads face was so abnormal for him it almost made Nitori laugh (but that would have been painful right now). He looked pale, shocked and disoriented as if he was the one that had just lost control of his lungs. He was trembling, his one hand settled on the top of Nitori’s, and the other clenched in his lap. 

“M--Momo?” Nitori tilted his head to the side slightly. “A--Are you oka--

He broke off into a soft fit of coughing.

“You scared me… Nitori-sempai…” His shaking hand felt like an earthquake on top of the captain’s. “Don’t ever leave your inhaler in the room again!”

“I--I--” Nitori wanted to tell him he was sorry. Wanted to tell his whole team he was sorry for causing them so much stress. But suddenly a lanky redheaded mess was in his arms, hiding his face against his neck and chewing his bottom lip.

“Promise?”

“I promise.” Nitori agreed, and he was sure this time. 

Being breathless had nothing to do with his asthma.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed!!!! I would love it if you left comments! :D


End file.
